Dragon's Blood Rewrite
by WarriorArnelle
Summary: ON HIATUS A strange girl comes to Amestris from a diffrent world, bringing her problems with her and Amestris' problems back. Will calamity or hilarity or both ensue? sry, suck @ summaries.
1. Strangers

**So, yeah, i decided to redo this story, combining some of the chapters to make it longer.... the previous ones were too short. so, yeah, revised edition. R&R and Enjoy!**

**TS1991**

Blood. Blood everywhere. It was in her eyes, her mouth, her mind. She couldn't get away from it. Screams. She couldn't run far enough. She couldn't run fast enough. She couldn't escape them.

Taikana ran, the greens and grays and browns of the forest around her hidden by tears. She couldn't see, but she kept running; even though she couldn't escape, she still had to try. Her beloved brother's screams of pain still echoed in her ears. The sight of him, back arched, blood pouring down his face from the wound over his eye, was branded in her mind. She couldn't see anything else.

The demon would come after her. She was never going to escape him. He would hunt her down like an animal; he would never stop. Not until… No, she couldn't think those words. If she did, the fear would overtake her, and she'd never get away. She had to… she had to try… even if it would never work.

Her breath came in harsh, short gasps, her legs burned, but still she did not stop. She ignored the tears running down her face, even though they made her blind. If she stopped, she would never move again. If she stopped, she'd have to think. '_Aki! Aki, I'm so sorry!_' Her mind kept screaming, calling out to him, even though she knew he couldn't hear. He probably wasn't even… '_NO!_' She wouldn't believe he was dead… he couldn't be… he just couldn't.

The forest was black in front of her. No light crept between the trees here. She didn't notice, trapped in her thoughts, kept prisoner by her own mind. She didn't notice she was falling until it was too late.

It was too dark. Air rushed past her face. In fear, her wings snapped out behind her, beating a furious tattoo in the void, in vain. She could get no purchase here. There was no air. She tried to breath, found she couldn't. Her lungs contracted, air whooshed out of her mouth in a silent scream.

Sound was a memory. Light was a myth. Warmth was a dream. Tai's mind continued to scream, even though her mouth made no sound. The blackness pressed in on her, stopping her mouth, her nose, her eyes, her ears. She was going to die here. This was how her life would end, suffocating in this black void.

Light. No, it couldn't be. She was dead, light no longer existed. This couldn't be right. Air. She could breathe again. This wasn't right. Warmth. No. This was not right. This was a dream, a memory. None of this existed anymore. Or did it? Sound. The blackness was disappearing.

She could see again, hear again, feel again… She stretched her hands out, towards the tiny pinprick of light that was her last hope. Was this a dream? No. Death wouldn't feel this nice. It wouldn't be this warm. The pinprick grew larger, closer. It was too bright; it hurt her eyes. She was too warm. The sound hurt her ears.

The light, she saw now, was a doorway. She was going to fall through it. Her throat constricted; once again, she couldn't breathe. The light enveloped her hand, her arm, her head. She was blind. Her hand hit something hard, and she heard a loud snapping sound. A moment later, she screamed as pain blossomed up her arm to her shoulder. The rest of her body hit the ground. Her wings had phased sometime during the fall, disappearing back into her body, where they wouldn't be seen. She rolled for a few seconds then finally came to rest in a crumpled, ragged heap.

Tai carefully opened her eyes. The sun was different, the sounds nothing like she'd ever heard before. Frightened, she drew her hands to her ears, ignoring the pain in her left wrist, and closed her eyes, trying not to see or hear anything. Once again, the sounds and sights of her last moments in her homeworld, for this place obviously was not Galonica, assailed her again. The blood, the screams, the demon's laughter.

"NO!" She couldn't deal with this now. "No…" Slowly, the picture of Akira was replaced by an ocean of black water. She lay on the shore of it, watching the waves rise higher and higher. After a moment, or an hour, or a day later, the waters rose over her head. With a sigh, Tai let them have their way and knew no more.

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"Ugh. I hate paperwork," Colonel Roy Mustang griped as he stared at the food-tall pile of paper on his desk. That was the problem with ascending ranks. The higher up you got, the more paperwork you had to deal with. "This is _not_ what I signed up for." With a resigned sigh, he reached for the top sheet. Surprise, surprise. It was a list of complaints from Central HQ. Roy's blue eyes glittered with irritation and his mouth pulled down at the corners into his typical frown. There was only so much he could do in a day. Did the Central people think he was a machine or something?

Suppressing a groan, he began to squish the letter into a ball to throw at the trash can. Before it could get too crinkled, however, he was hit by sudden inspiration. Unrolling the letter, he carefully folded it into a paper airplane. His mouth pulling up into a slight grin, he lobbed the airplane in the general direction of the trash. He missed, but the plane made a very satisfying _thunk_ when it hit the wall.

Grin broadening to a full-on smile now, Roy snatched the next sheet off the pile. It was another letter. This, too, he folded and launched at the trash. This one didn't fly so well. It shot almost straight up into the air then nosedived to the floor. Roy ignored it, already reaching for the next letter. This plane actually made it in the trash. Roy bit back a bark of laughter and began folding another plane.

About five minutes and multiple paper planes later, a knock on the office door startled him out of his recreation. "Colonel, what are you doing in there? You had better not be burning the curtains again!" A woman's voice spoke through the door. Roy smiled. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye always managed to cheer him up. He didn't know why. Maybe it was a gift. "Colonel?"

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. I'm just making paper airplanes." He wondered what she'd make of that. Silence. "Lieutenant?"

"You're doing what?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"I got bored with reading reports and annoying letters from Central, so I decided to do something useful with them."

The door opened and Riza stared at him, her brown eyes concerned. "I always knew you would go crazy, Colonel. Thanks for proving me right."

"I'm not that crazy, am I?" Roy asked, worried. "I mean, I'm ok most of time, right?"

Riza smiled. Despite her severe hairstyle, when she smiled, Roy thought she was quite pretty, something he would die before admitting to anyone but himself. "Most of the time is not all of the time, Colonel." She glanced at the airplanes scattered all over the floor. She bent, picked one up, and tossed it at the trash can in the corner. It went straight in. "You must have really bad aim. The trash can's closer to you than it is to me."

"I wasn't aiming for the trash can that often. They made funny noises when they hit the floor or the wall." He couldn't keep from grinning. Riza just stared at him.

"You need a break, Roy. I'll do this; you go take a walk." Riza walked around the desk, Roy staring at her nervously, and grabbed him by the collar. She dragged him to the door and dumped him unceremoniously in the hallway, introducing his face to the carpeted floor. "Don't come back until you're more relaxed." The door slammed shut and he heard the lock click.

Roy just lay on the floor for a long moment. Then, realizing that just laying there wasn't helping anything, he got to his feet and headed towards the doors. Once outside, he paused, deciding where wanted to go. Not to a pub, he was still on duty. After a moment, he decided to just go for a long walk through some of the back roads and alleys. There weren't many people back there and it would be quiet and possibly relaxing. With a grin, he took off towards the nearest one.

He spend several hours meandering from alley to alley, enjoying the stillness and the quiet. He was wandering around aimlessly when it happened. One second, everything was quiet, and then a loud, painfully bright explosion split the air. A doorway of bright light appeared at the back end of an alley, growing larger and brighter by the second. Disturbed and intrigued at the same time, Roy remained where he was, staring in fascination. '_This is probably really stupid. I should probably be running right now._' But, for some strange reason, he remained still.

A few minutes later, a girl dropped out of the door, one hand outstretched, like she was reaching for something. She had really long red hair and it fell around her in shimmering waves. She hit the ground hard, and he heard a sharp crack, like a gunshot. He knew, however, that it was the girl's wrist. She'd fallen on her hand and her wrist had snapped. He saw her face crumple in pain, but she made no sound.

The girl's cheeks were wet, and tears were still steaming from her eyes. Her face, arms, and hands were scratched and bloody, but she was apparently oblivious to the fact. Slowly, her eyes cracked open and she studied the sky. For a moment, she just sat there, staring then, all of a sudden, she clapped her hands to her ears and closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head. Roy could see that she was hurting, but he didn't know what to do, so he remained still.

"NO!" The girl's sudden scream made Roy jump about a foot in the air. "No…" She continued to whisper, "no" for a moment, and then she collapsed.

Roy finally realized that he could move again. He ran forward and knelt by the girl. Even unconscious, her face was still twisted in pain, whether from her broken wrist or from something in her mind, he had no idea. However, he did know that she needed help, and soon. He didn't think she had any life-threatening injuries, but… he wasn't going to take chances.

Carefully sliding one arm around her back and the other under her knees, he carefully lifted her. She was surprisingly light for someone so… large. Up close, he'd been unable to help but notice how long and well-muscled she was. Carrying her bridal style, he headed back to HQ, hoping no one would see him before he got there.

He was in luck. No one was on the streets or the hallways when he returned. Outside his office door, he could hear Riza shuffling through papers.

"Riza. Riza, open the door." His voice came out rougher than he'd intended, but it was loud enough to be heard through the door and the noise on the other side.

"Feeling better?" she asked as the lock slid back.

"I was. Open the door, please," he commanded. The door slammed open, and Riza appeared, glaring at him. The glare vanished as she realized what he was carrying.

"Oh, my… What happened?"

"I have no idea. She needs help. I was hoping you'd know someone who could help her."

"Yes. A friend of mine works at a private hospital near here. We'll take her there."

"We? You're coming?" Roy was surprised.

"Of course," she responded, insulted. "She doesn't know you."

"Right. OK, then, should we take a car or walk?"

"Car." Riza strode off smartly, Roy struggling to keep up. They found an unused military car and drove to the hospital. Once there, Riza spoke to her friend, and they managed to get the girl into a room.

The doctor, a pretty, brown-haired young woman named Hailey Kalla, looked the girl over while Roy waited outside her room. Riza had gone back to HQ to finish up the paperwork once she knew the girl would be looked after. Roy was going to give her the news when he returned himself.

"Colonel Mustang?" Hailey asked. She'd opened the door and was motioning for him to come in. He entered the room and saw the girl lying on the bed, her arm in a splint, the rest of her cuts cleaned and the worst of them bandaged. She looked so delicate and fragile.

"How is she?" He hoped his voice didn't reveal how worried he was.

"She'll be all right. None of her injuries are life-threatening, or even close to it. I think she's just tired. She'll probably sleep for a while. If you want to stay, you're welcome to, but don't wake her up. She needs the rest to heal." Hailey smiled at him, then walked out.

Roy studied the girl. "Who are you?" he wondered aloud. She didn't respond, not that he'd expected her to. He walked over to the bed and gently brushed her hair away from her face. "I hope you recover, from whatever it is that's hurting you." He then turned and walked out, pausing only to let Hailey know that he'd be back soon to check on her. Then he headed out into the darkening night.

**A/N Yay, first chappy done! I'm so happy... anyway, done with the random outbursts now... R&R pwease!!!!!!!**


	2. Trapped

**A/N by the way, i forgot to add a disclaimer last time... I do not own fullmetal alchemist or any of the characters in it... they belong to Arakawa-sensei... i do, however, own tai and any characters not in FMA mentioned in this fanfic.... anyway, enough of my ramblings. on to the story!!!! R&R, please!!!!!!**

**Oh, by the way, multiple paragraphs in italics are either memories or dreams; single paragraphs or sentences in italics are thoughts, in case you didn't figure that out already..... ^__^**

_"Tai, just because that girl said that you have to travel the worlds on your own doesn't mean that I have to willingly abandon you!" Akira stormed. He and his sister had been having this argument nearly every day since the soothsayer Callastia had told Tai that she had to fulfill her fate alone. He was really getting tired of it._

_"I'm not going to willingly put you at risk! I have a bloodthirsty demon after me. He may just decide to take you to hurt me. I'm not going to give him that chance! When we find that Shroud, you're staying here and I'm going on alone." Tai's voice brooked no argument, but Aki still had to try._

_"Isn't it my decision whether I go or not? I don't care if that creature kills me; at least I will have been able to do something!"_

_"Aki, you don't know what you're saying! You won't get off that easily with him. Look at what he did to our parents! He was playing with them. He didn't have to torture them, and he knew it! He did because he wanted to! You'll just get it worse if he takes you! I'm not going to give him that chance! Not if I'm still strong enough to fight!"_

_"How much longer can you fight him? How much longer can you resist? He wants you to give in, Tai. How much longer until you break?"_

_"I'M NOT GOING TO BREAK, AKI! I don't care what you think, I'm not going to give in to him. I ca-" She paused. "Did you hear that?"_

_"What?" Aki paused, head cocked to one side as he listened. After a moment, he heard it. The sounds of pursuit. "Crap. He found us… Tai what are you doing?!" Tai swords, the Tsuinkunai, or Twin Swords, were in her hands. She had fallen into a defensive position, her eyes blazing._

_"Let him come! It's high time he paid in blood for the debt he owes us!" _

_"Tai, no! Run! If he catches you, he'll kill you! You have to survive; I don't! Run!"_

_"NO! Aki, I'm not leaving you! I'm not going to let him take you!"_

_Aki whirled to face the trees. "Tai. Even if he takes me, he won't kill me. He'll want to use me. Sure, he'll use pain to keep me from running away, but… No, he won't kill me." The sounds of pursuit suddenly grew louder. Their hunters were approaching fast. Aki's heart filled with fear, not for himself but for Tai. If she died here… He spun around and shouted at her, "TAI! RUN! NOW! Save yourself!"_

_"But…"_

_"NO BUTS! GO! NOW!" He turned back to face the threat. Ignoring the fact that he was weaponless, he was going to try and slow the demon down._

_"Aki... I love you." He heard the sound of retreating footsteps. She was gone._

_Tai ran from Aki's fear. Because he was afraid, she was. Akira never showed fear. For a while, Tai ran without thinking. If she thought, she'd go back and do exactly what Aki said not to do. But then, her mind started acting up. "Aki… What the hell are you doing, you idiot!? Go back there and help him. What kind of sister are you?" She skidded to a halt, barely avoided hitting a large pine tree, and took off in the opposite direction. '_Aki… I'm coming…"

_By the time she made it back to the clearing, Nankain, the demon, had already been there for a while. Obviously, he was enjoying himself. His face was split in a grin, his eyes glimmered with fun. Aki lay on the ground in front of him, panting. His face was sweaty, his eyes gave away his pain. "I told you, you freak of nature, I don't know where she went! Even if I did, do you think I would tell you? You must be stupider than you look!" The fun slipped from Nankain's face at this little speech._

"_Is that so, little boy? Let me tell you something, then. No matter what, I will find your sister. So you see, it really doesn't matter if you tell me or not. She will still die."_

_Aki laughed. "Sure. Then why did it take you so long to find us? We've been running around for months, and you only just- AGH!" A bolt of black lightning shot from Nankain's fist, striking Aki full on in the chest. Tai, hidden in the bushes, barely managed to suppress a gasp. _

_Panting, Aki glared at Nankain. "I will die before I betray her!" Nankain growled, and stepped forward. A serrated knife glittered in his fist._

"_Foolish boy. You will die. But not before I've had my fun." With a laugh, the demon raised the knife above his head and then brought the serrated edge down on Aki's forehead, right above his right eye. Aki screamed._

_Tai tried to scream, but nothing but air flew out. Her hand shot to her throat. It was wet. She pulled it away and stared at it. Slowly, she raised the other and held both of them at the same level. They were covered in a red, sticky, warm liquid. Blood. She had Aki's blood on her hands. It was her fault. It was all her fault._

_She screamed._

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Roy jerked awake at the sound of the girl's scream. It had been about two days since she'd appeared, but this was the first chance he'd gotten to return to the hospital. Although she looked better, with most of the bandages off her face, the doctor said that she hadn't woken at all. Roy hadn't been able to leave her.

He'd stayed by her bedside for hours; apparently he'd fallen asleep. She had been as still and silent as one dead then. Not so the case now. Now, she was screaming fit to _wake_ the dead. And thrashing about on the bed. She'd nearly beaned on the head at least twice in as many seconds.

Hailey, the doctor in charge of the girl, shot in from the hallway. "What happened? Colonel? What's going on?"

"I don't know, Doctor. As far as I know she just started this." Roy stared at the girl, trying to figure out what was happening. "Maybe I should leave."

"NO!"

The girl's sudden coherent shout startled them both. Her eyes were still closed, and as far as either of them could tell, she was still unconscious. "Maybe I shouldn't leave," Roy grumbled. Hailey continued to watch the girl. Her thrashing slowed, and finally stopped. Her mouth, however continued to move. Roy, being closer to her, leaned in to hear what she was saying.

"My fault… It's all my fault… Aki… I'm so sorry… It's all my fault…"

"Doctor. I think she's trapped in her own mind. She keeps saying something's 'her fault' and someone named Aki. Mean anything to you?"

"No." She studied the two of them for a second. "I think I'll leave you two alone. Maybe you'll figure out a way to help her, Colonel." Hailey slipped out of the room.

Roy returned his attention to the girl. She was calm enough now, except for the mumbling. '_Poor girl. Who knows what's happened to her to trap her in her own mind._' He leaned over her, studied her face. "I wish I knew your name. At least then, I'd know who I'm talking to." He sighed. "Whoever you are, it probably isn't your fault. Whatever 'it' is. I'm not even sure I want to know what 'it' is. If it'll make you feel better, I don't even care what 'it' is." He paused, watching her face. Was it just him, or did she look more relaxed? "I feel like an idiot. Maybe I should just shut up." He chuckled then got up and moved over to the window. "I wish you'd wake up. You're missing a really pretty sunset. Not many of those around here, what with all the clouds we get at night. Ok, I really should just shut up."

"No." A girl's voice. "No, don't stop."

Roy turned slowly around to face the bed. The girl's eyes were finally open. She was watching him. They were beautiful, the same color as the setting sun. He realized he was staring and quickly turned back to the window. "Why not? I feel like an idiot, rambling on about stupid stuff."

"You… you don't… sound like an… an idiot." She stopped for a long moment. "Did you… really mean it… when you said you… didn't care what 'it' is?"

"Yes. I meant it. Oh, by the way, what's your name? I'm Roy." He decided not to mention anything else, like military titles or anything like that.

"My name's… Taikana. But… but you can call me… Tai. Every… everyone does. Or at least… they used to." She grinned, but it was a fragile smile. The girl was about ready to shatter into a million pieces.

Roy smiled back, then moved back over to the bed and sat on the edge. "How badly are you hurt, Tai?"

Her eyes widened slightly and her grin wobbled. "Bad. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked away from him and closed her eyes. She seemed to think tears a weakness. Roy, not completely sure what he was doing, reached out and carefully lifted her to a sitting position. Once he got her there, he placed his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"It's OK to cry. I won't tell anyone I saw it." He felt her stiffen in surprise, but, a moment later, she relaxed again and let her tears flow. It took a long time for her tears to run dry, but when they did, she remained where she was for a few seconds more.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Roy." Her eyes closed, and the ocean waters surrounded her once more.

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Tai was about 90% sure she was dreaming. After drifting into sleep in that man's… Roy's… arms, she had opened her eyes to see a place she'd never been, a place she'd never seen. She was lying in a clearing, surrounded by what looked like trees made of jade. The grass was a darker shade of the same stone. Next to her was a pool, but it wasn't water. It was made of sapphire and blue diamond. Everything here was made of stone.

'_Impossible. Trees can't be stone. Neither can water, for that matter... What is this place? Where am I?_' She felt that she should be afraid, but for some reason, she wasn't. She felt completely safe, which was probably really stupid. What if she got trapped here, like she'd been trapped before?

Suddenly, she heard the sounds of someone moving in the stone trees. Her heart began to beat faster. She wanted to call out, to see who was there, but she couldn't make her voice work. Realizing that she was still lying down, she shot up to a sitting position, debating whether or not she should stand up.

"Taikana?" A woman's voice. "Taikana, are you there?"

Tai realized that she could speak again. "Who's there?" Her voice didn't come out as strong as she would've liked. "Who are you?" There, that sounded much better.

The woman, wherever, whoever she was, started laughing quietly. "My dear Taikana, we've already met. I've also been watching you for a long time. You know who I am."

Tai made a face, sticking her tongue out in the direction of the voice. "Oh, so am I just supposed to guess? I know a lot of people. Which one of them are you?"

"Stubborn little thing. I'll give you a hint," the woman's voice said from the darkness. "You know everything about me except for my name, which no human alive knows."

"No…" Tai gasped. "You can't be… The Lady of Fate?"

"Yup." The sudden casualness of the woman's voice surprised Tai. "I may even tell you my real name. As a token of trust, yes?"

"You trust me that much? But… the laws say that you can't tell anyone. At least, you can't tell common people your name."

"Exactly. Taikana, you're not common." A sigh fluttered through the jade trees, and a woman suddenly appeared in front of Tai, apparently from nowhere. She wore a long, dark grey dress and a hooded black cloak. Her face was hidden by the shadows cast by the hood. "You have never been told… of your true parentage, have you?"

"My father was a merchant. My mother was also common. My blood is common. Right?" Tai asked, but her voice was far from certain. The Lady wouldn't be telling her this unless there was something she'd never known.

"Wrong." The woman moved forward, not making a sound on the stone floor, and sat by Tai's side. "You are not of common blood. Your adoptive parents are of common blood, but they are not your parents by blood. Your blood mother is a Queen. Your blood father is a King."

"What of Aki? Are his parents the same as mine? Is he my blood brother or my adoptive brother?" Tai prayed that Aki was her real brother. She didn't think she could deal with it if he wasn't.

"He is. In fact, he has a twin. However, the two of them never got along, which is why your mother sent him with you," the Lady informed her. "His twin's name is Asha."

"Asha… does he look like Aki?"

"Not really. They're not identical. They both, however, share your mother's looks."

"OK, then… but what does all this have to do with me? So I'm the daughter of a Queen. I'm not a leader; I'm not going to be a leader. Why should you tell me your name then?"

"Wrong again." The Lady threw her hood back, revealing a pale face, raven black hair with a streak of red by her temple, and brown-black eyes. "I'm sure you're aware of this, but you're-"

"Not completely human," Tai interrupted. "Yeah, I've been aware of that for some time. My wings first phased when I was seven. Hurt like hell."

"Always does the first time, from what I've heard."

"Wait… I'm not the only one? There are more people like me?" Tai was shocked. She'd always believed that she was a freak, that she was the only one in Galonica that could sprout dragon wings.

"There are a lot of people like you. Remember that legend about the Lost Kingdom?" She waited until she saw Tai's confirmatory nod. "That kingdom was known as the Kingdom of Dragons, or Qui'sha Doragón. They disappeared two hundred years ago, when the last Dragon Queen was murdered."

"She was murdered?! By whom?" Tai thought she already knew the answer, and was afraid to hear it. "Nankain?"

"His father, actually. Ironically, if Nankain's father had just killed the Queen and not her daughter, you wouldn't have been needed."

"WHAT?! Are you saying that I'M the new Queen? No way. Do NOT go there. I'm no queen; you know that!"

"Tai, I wrote this in your fate. It's part of your destiny."

"WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?" Tai yelled. "I'M NO QUEEN!" Her breath was coming in short gasps as though she'd been running. "Why?"

"You're powerful. You were born with Royal blood. You have a keen sense of right and wrong; you know when you're being lied to. You can command loyalty. You are easy to love, easy to follow. You are just. All good reasons to write someone as a queen, and one of the main Leaders."

"But… I can't lead… Look at where my leadership got my brother. I nearly got him killed. I might have gotten him killed. Wait, Lady, is he still alive? I didn't lead him to his death, did I?"

"As far as I know, he hasn't passed the Gates yet." Tai breathed a huge sigh of relief. "But that doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't. My brother doesn't tell me everything."

"Then why get my hopes up?" Tai growled, starting to get angry. "Why tell me that?"

"Because I didn't write it in his fate. That doesn't mean that it can't happen; the fates I write aren't completely set in stone. Some of them are, but most aren't. Yours is, so don't think you can run away, Tai." Tai growled. "I don't think he's dead, though. Nankain's not the one to give death quickly or easily. He's not going to kill Aki for some time, if he ever does." She rose. "Now, I think I've given you enough shocks for one meeting. I think it's time I brought you home."

"Wait. You said you might tell me your name. What is it?"

The Lady paused for a long moment. Then she turned and smiled at Tai. "It's Yuka." She was turning back the other way when another girl, also dressed in grey with a black cloak appeared.

"Sister. You forgot something. The girl needs the pendant."

"Oh, right! Thank you, Sister." Yuuko turned back to Tai as her sister vanished. "My sister always is reminding me of things I forget. Here." She held her hand out; in it was a silver pendant: two dragons curled around each other, wings half unfurled. Their necks were entwined as well. In between their claws and entwined necks was a perfect crystal sphere. The crystal was completely clear and perfectly smooth. Slowly, Tai reached out and took it from Yuka's hand.

"What is it?"

"Something only the Dragon Queen can wear. It is what houses the seven Elemental Essences when they're not running amuck through the worlds, like they are right now. Only the Queen has the power to capture and control them. It's your job to hunt them down and stick them in that. They' shouldn't be too hard to find; you'll be able to sense them from a ways off, no doubt."

"I'm guessing I should keep this a secret?"

"That would be wise, unless you're telling someone you trust with your life. Not so with my name. That you must never tell another living soul. Ever."

"Your name is safe with me," Tai vowed seriously. "I will never speak it to another soul, living or dead."

"Good. Now, I believe it's time for you to return to your body. Your friend Roy is about to explode with worry."

Tai blushed. '_Roy… I need to go back. But not for him. I have a duty now; I have to fulfill it. I no longer have a choice._' Aloud, she said, "I'm ready to return, my Lady."

"Go."

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Tai shot bolt upright in bed. "That was a weird dream… Or was it a dream?"

A sudden sigh off to her left brought her attention back to the real world. "You're alright?" Roy asked, his voice subdued. Tai remembered someone saying that he'd been ready to explode with worry, but who… where had she been? What was that dream?

"How long… have I been… asleep?" Strange. Here, she couldn't speak as quickly or easily as she did in that other place. Was it because she'd been dreaming? No, they'd been speaking a different language.

"About… two days, I think."

'_That long? The Lady… Was I really talking to the Lady? For two days? Impossible_.' Her hand clenched into a fist, but something sharp cut into it. With a gasp, Tai let her hand fall open. Something shiny fell from her palm to the bed. Tai's breath caught in her throat as she saw what it was. The pendant the Lady had handed her.

"What's that?" Roy's long, white hand reached out to touch it, but Tai's was faster. She slung the chain- had the lady really though to add a chain?- over her head before Roy could get a good look. "What?" Roy stared at her in confusion.

"Sorry. Can't tell you." She grinned at him to take away the sting of those words. "Not yet, anyway." Funny. She could talk almost normally now. Was this the Lady's doing? Probably, when she thought about it. "I will. Later, though, when I know…" What was the word? Trust. That was it. "When I know I can trust you completely."

He nodded. Good, he understood. "Everyone has their secrets. Don't ask, don't tell, huh?" Someone knocked on the door.

"Colonel? Lieutenant Hawkeye asked me to get you. Fullmetal's back in town. She said that she can't take his report for you; you need to be there," a man's voice called.

"Sheesh. Why couldn't he have waited a few more days?" Roy grumbled. "I'll be right there," he called through the door. "Sorry, I have to go. I'll try and be back sometime tonight, though."

Tai nodded. "I'll be here."

He grinned then rose and walked to the door. He glanced back at her, grinned and waved, then opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him, leaving Tai alone with her thoughts.


End file.
